Sharks get a bad rap, but these misunderstood shark facts might turn your opinion around
8 Misunderstood Shark Facts to Set the Record Straight
Updated on Jul. 07, 2025
Shark species number in the hundreds
Did you know there are more than 500 shark species? Most people are only familiar with a few specific species, such as great whites, but the vast majority of sharks aren’t that large, nor are they all carnivores. For example, the lantern shark is only eight inches long, and a hammerhead-type shark, called the bonnethead, eats plants in addition to shellfish.
Sharks are picky eaters
Movies and TV shows perpetuate the idea that sharks love eating humans. In reality, sharks are notoriously picky eaters—and humans just aren’t tasty enough. Culum Brown, a fish biologist at Macquarie University in Sydney, told the Guardian that sharks respond strongly to the smell of fish and seals, not humans. And in creepier news, humans are hard for sharks to digest, since we have more than 200 bones in our bodies.
Sharks build maps in their heads
Sharks obviously can’t whip out a phone to find their feeding grounds, so they navigate using mental maps. There are a few theories on how they create these maps, but the Earth’s magnetic field plays a key role, according to research reported in Current Biology. Others believe sharks can create these maps thanks to signals from ocean currents, water temperature or smell. Research also shows that sharks have amazing memories. In fact, sharks can be taught to recognize shapes and optical illusions—and remember them for at least a year.
Sharks can reproduce asexually
Well, some of them can, anyway. Leonie, an aquarium leopard shark in Australia, gave birth to pups even after being separated from male sharks for several years! One of Leonie’s offspring (from an earlier, more traditional coupling), called Lolly, also started reproducing asexually. Other shark species are female-forward as well: Great white sharks are known to be loners, but when groups of these sharks are together the females usually run the show.
Sharks have advanced technology
Did you know that unlike fish, sharks don’t have scales? Instead, their skin has tiny teeth, called dermal denticles, that point backward and help them swim faster. They also don’t have skeletons, as their body is made of cartilage instead of bone. This lighter frame is one of the many reasons why sharks are fast swimmers.
Sharks are endangered
Incredibly, more than 100 million sharks are killed every year, and certain shark species are in danger of going extinct due to human impact and activities. Although banned in the United States and some other countries, shark finning is still one of the primary causes of endangerment. (Shark fins are used to make shark fin soup, which is a delicacy in China.)
Ironically, anti-finning laws may be contributing to a rise in shark deaths, according to research cited by Science, because fisheries created a market for the entire shark instead of the just fin. Other threats include climate change and habitat degradation.
Shark attack deaths are rare
The Jaws mythology still holds strong 50 years later, but you’re more likely to die from a lightning strike, car accident, heart attack or stroke than a shark attack. According to the Florida Museum’s 2024 International Shark Attack File (ISAF), seven people died in unprovoked shark attacks in 2024, which is in line with the average of six people per year.
Sharks are an important part of the food chain
Sharks are a key part in keeping the ocean system healthy. They have been top predators in the sea for more than 450 million years. Shockingly, sharks have been around almost 200 million years longer than dinosaurs! Without sharks, prey species like fish, seabirds and seals would multiply out of control, knocking the ocean’s ecosystem out of balance and depleting resources other species need to survive.
FAQs
Which species of shark is the most dangerous ?
The great white is generally considered the most dangerous shark species. While other sharks, like tiger sharks and bull sharks, are also responsible for attacks, great whites lead in both the total number of attacks and the number of fatal attacks. These sharks are also most frequently implicated in unprovoked attacks on humans, according to the ISAF.
Which country has the most shark attacks?
The U.S. consistently tops the list of most unprovoked shark attacks, with Australia second. In 2024, the U.S. saw 28 unprovoked bites, with 14 of those happening off the coast of Florida. Other states with shark attacks in 2024: Hawaii, which had the lone fatality, as well as Texas, California, North Carolina and South Carolina. Australia had nine unprovoked attacks and no fatalities.
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Sources:
- Science: “Meet the world’s first salad-eating shark”
- Monterey Bay Aquarium: “Sharks”
- Guardian: “‘Sharks don’t like to eat people’: attack statistics contradict untested theories”
- Reef Builders: “Leopard Shark ‘Virgin Birth’ at Reef HQ Townsville Australia”
- Current Biology: “Map-like use of Earth’s magnetic field in sharks”
- Oceana: “Seven Reasons Female Great Whites are Worth Celebrating”
- ThoughtCo: “Placoid Scales on Sharks and Rays”
- Science: “Shark kills rise to more than 100 million per year—despite antifinning laws”
- Pensacola News Journal: “Florida is the shark-attack capital of the world. Here’s what’s more likely to kill you”
- Florida Museum: “The ISAF 2024 shark attack report”
- Florida Museum: “Species Implicated in Attacks”
